


like this

by matsinko



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drarry Discord Writers Corner Drabble Challenge, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, segment fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 06:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17482784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matsinko/pseuds/matsinko
Summary: Harry’s 8th year begins like his 6th has never ended.





	like this

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, [lettersbyelise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lettersbyelise), for discussing this with me and helping me put the scenes in order. And [OllieMaye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OllieMaye) \- thank you so much for the beta! <3
> 
> January's prompt: “Time for a change”

_when change begins to simmer_  
_deep under your skin_  
_it goes like this_  
_like this_  
_like this_

-

 

_it goes like this_

Harry’s 8th year begins like his 6th has never ended. The castle has been restored to every stone and every tile, like the war never happened. He almost wishes they came back to ruins.

Hermione’s holding his hand under the long, pinewood table. It’s both grounding and unnerving.

He can’t bring himself to watch the Sorting, so he lets his gaze wander.

When it catches, it’s on a pale head with eyes cast downwards. Distant and guarded, Draco Malfoy sits alone, and Harry thinks—unreasonably, stupidly—he’s the one: the echo of the war the castle should be.

  
  
_it goes like this_

Malfoy’s holding the Snitch, his eyes pale and wide, the otherwise cool countenance tipped with gold in the setting sun behind his back. The pitch explodes in cheers - it reverberates within Harry, and he closes his eyes against it and just _feels_.

Seeking acrimony is like turning stones, looking for diamonds. There’s none. The game, despite a loss, has made him feel good, like a rusty cog is finally turning, and he’s coming back to life.

The onset of change, when he feels it, is like a throb that stirs his blood into motion.

He looks at Malfoy.

Malfoy’s already looking back.

 

_it goes like this_

A bottle of Firewhisky and a stupid game of truth or dare, spiced with Veriteserum; to make it more interesting, Pansy Parkinson insists.  
  
Harry’s scared of truths. He’s had enough of them. He wants to rest — close his eyes and lose himself in whatever new tactical 8th-year get-along plan Hermione comes up with.  
  
He knows why she’s doing it. He understands. The flow of it; the rudiments simplicity of a project held important kept her mind sane.

They use the empty bottle of  Firewhisky for his dare. Pansy’s blood red nails are stark against the empty glass; her smirk - conspicuous.

When the bottle stops spinning, and he looks up to guarded pale grey eyes, time also stops; inexplicably, it staggers, and Harry's breath catches.  
  
When it resumes, he’s leaning forward, dared, and he’s met with eyes made of ice and lips made of fire.

He should hate this, he thinks. He should hate it, and yet, he doesn't.

 

_it goes like this_

Malfoy in the sunlight is like a marble sculpture: sharp profile and impenetrable eyes, soft locks of hair falling over the nape of his neck. Harry’s gaze catches there and holds.

Hermione clears her throat, eyes never leaving the book, perched in her lap.

The trees swing with the onset of a light breeze.

Malfoy fingers curl around the nape of his neck, pressing onto the skin there as if Harry’s gaze has left a ghost of a caress.

 

_it goes like this_

“You’ve been staring.” Malfoy’s voice is low, his gaze steady. From the straight-backed posture to the impersonal grace he leans his weight against the stone wall, Malfoy looks like an embodiment of contradictions, clashing with everything Harry’s known of him; with everything he is now.

Harry makes a step and then another until they’re face to face.

“I have,” he says, bravely.

Their gazes meet. And hold.

The kiss happens as one begins to breathe after holding their breath for a long time—inevitably.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://matsinko.tumblr.com) [(hp tumblr)](https://malfoyc.tumblr.com) / [twitter](https://twitter.com/matsinko_)


End file.
